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Madden vs ESPN

Madden 05 is gonna emphasize defense. Gone are the days where Michael Vick can out run everyone. QB's will have to get rid of the ball on short drops. I think its gonna be a much improved game from last year. I love the owner/franchise mode and if the gameplay is as improved as advertised its gonna be one helluva game. I'll be buying it, but ESPN has certainly made some improvements. If i had the money i'd probably buy both.
 
Madden also made the game more realistic by making the chances of converting 4th and long less, saw that on SportsCenter last night...
 
EA/Tiburon took out the hurdle button this year (it's automatic) and replaced it w/ the shoulder charge.

Anyway, I'll probably get both games on the PS2 b/c I already have a network adapter (plus an X-port for NCAA rosters). I'd rather get ESPN on the Xbox though, but I don't have a Live account.

-If i had the money i'd probably buy both.
An extra $20 shouldn't break the bank. If it does, then get a Gamer's Gift Card at Best Buy and you'll get a $5 off coupon...
 
ESPN was made from the ground up on Xbox therefore it will offer things on Xbox that PS2 can't unlike Madden. Unlike ESPN, Madden will be the same on both PS2 and Xbox since the PS2 has limited capabilities compared to Xbox. Online isn't a factor either since all EA titles are going Live from now on. Definitely get ESPN on Xbox to take advantage of it's features though. ESPN is only going to be $20 so it's a win-win situation. $70 for both titles is a hell of a deal if I ever saw one...
 
wow, i missed that. ESPN is only gonna be 20 bucks??? is that some sort of special or will it remain at that price. If its only that much i'll end up buying both. I thought i was looking at another 49.99 game
 
Well the 20 dollar price is a promotion. It's meant to make Madden game lovers take a peek at what ESPN has to offer. I'm not sure if the price is around only for Pre-Orders, or if it extends to after its release. Either way grab it up while you can.
 
$20 will be the price....you can call it a promo. It's not only for pre-orders...that will be the price you'll find it for at your local game retailer.
 
Not only will ESPN be the cheaper game, it will be the better game IMHO. I've actually done a TON of research on both games, and I favor ESPN. I only played Madden for the last 3 years, but this year I'm going with ESPN.
 
Panther5407 said:
Is Madden gonna have the Battle Red jerseys? I've been dying to play with those on.
Yeah, I read something a long time ago that they are going to have all the alternate jerseys for all the teams.

More importantly, I wonder if they are going to let us open the roof...
 
Fiddy said:
Yeah, I read something a long time ago that they are going to have all the alternate jerseys for all the teams.

More importantly, I wonder if they are going to let us open the roof...

Where did you read that?
 
That be awesome to let us be able to open the roof. Football isn't the same without playing in the elements once in awhile weather it be snow, rain, cold or heat.
 
Panther5407 said:
That be awesome to let us be able to open the roof. Football isn't the same without playing in the elements once in awhile weather it be snow, rain, cold or heat.

I agree 100%!! Good point.
 
I just got done playing ESPN NFL 2005. The graphics and sounds are cool. The presentation is nice, but the controls are a bit odd and will take some time to get used to. Also, it has the Texans ranked fairly low, but Madden usually does too. However, you can modify the players and rank them however you see fit. It's a fun game, but I don't see this replacing Madden in my game system for me at least.
 
Burning Questions:

Does Reliant look realistic?

Can you open/close the roof?

Can you wear the alternate red jersey?
 
Yes Reliant looks realistic.

Yes the roof is open/closed depending on the weather.

Yes you can wear the battle red jerseys.

The halftime, pregame, and postgame shows are a great feature. And yes it is worth every bit of the 20bucks.
 
sweet...after last year when Madden had Reliant Stadium with Field Turf instead of grass (The year whe had the Super Bowl!!) I swore I would try ESPN this year.
 
Its quite a shrewd marketing move to sell the ESPN game for $20. This is to persuade the loyal Madden players to give it a shot and then get hooked on the game. Next year, the ESPN game will be $50 and everyone will still buy it.

I plan on having both games.
 
For 30 bucks less, I can't imagine not getting ESPN, especially when it looks like its as good if not better. But I won't buy both games ... I can't justify spending another 50 dollars on a game that does the same thing as the game I already have.
 
I'm gonna pick this game up after work. Someone posted this on another MB about the ratings being way off. I'll just cut & paste them...

From: splodem
The ratings. Some of them are absolutely horrible, and I'll give you examples:

Doug Flutie's speed is a 59. Peyton Manning and Brett Favre (I think Favre) are both faster than he is in this game. I don't think so.

Kevin Johnson's speed is a 90. Sorry, but Kevin Johnson is not as fast as Laveranues Coles.

Rohan Davey's passing strength is a low 50. Give me a break. Whoever approved this rating didn't do their homework. Davey has one of the top 10 strongest arms in the league. That to me was the worst of the ratings botches.

J.J. Moses' strength is a 66, same as David Boston. He's also the strongest receiver on Houston. Come on. Who in the world is approving these ratings? Things like that may not seem like much, but they're so far off, they do look bad.

Also, I think Tim Dwight has the highest break tackle of any receiver on the Chargers. Since when has Tim Dwight broken a tackle? They need to get on the ball and fix these things.

Josh McCown's speed is an 80. Look through all of the QB's who are slower than he is and you'll see the problem. He isn't that fast.

Kevan Barlow. How in the world is his overall so low? He's lower than he was last year, which makes no sense at all. He should be one of the top 20 AT LEAST rated backs in the game, and I haven't checked if he is yet, but his rating is so low, I doubt it.

Sorry to rant, but when I saw these things, it made me think that whoever is doing these ratings has no idea what they're doing. I don't understand how those examples I listed above were even allowed to happen.

The game overall is good though. They should also fix the running. It looks goofy. Everything else is cool. tackling, INT animations, ESPN presentation.


I hope they fix this in their next roster update...BTW, does anyone have a Max Drive for the Xbox?
 
__V__ said:
The passing game in madden has always bothered me. A 20-yard QB drop back and chunk is not very realistic and when you play that is all that happens in Madden over and over. ESPN has always had a 3-5-7 step drop or you get sacked. I'm probably buying the College version of the ea/Madden game and will get ESPN for the NFL.

thats the difference with this years game. Its all about the defense. I thought this IGN article was a pretty good description of what you can expect. It's written by someone who loves the ESPN series.

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/532/532060p1.html
 
some of the things wrong with the texans in this years game

1.were the third wortst team in the NFL
2.who is ron dugles and why is he on are roster
3.they still have pitts a tackel
4.carson palmer is rated higher than david
5.brian westbrook is rated 88 while davis is only rated 81 i think they should be closer if not DD better

ill come back with more after i play the game more
 
texans said:
2.who is ron dugles and why is he on are roster
3.they still have pitts a tackel
4.carson palmer is rated higher than david
Dang. Ron Dugans was a WR we had on the roster and cut about 2 weeks ago. I think you can edit Pitts and make him a G.

How do they have Palmer rated higher than Carr?!?!?!?!?!?!
 
You are all being brainwashed by ESPN. Did yall not see the graphix? They are not better than Madden2005 what-so-ever! And what is up with the ratings? Gary walker and seth payne both have 69 strength! And Jaimie Sharper is the 4th best LB in the league but in the game his overall is 89? ESPN also made babin HORRIBLE! I just cant stand my dude to be disrespected. Bottom line is ESPN sux royal @$$, and Madden kicks royal @$$!
 
Someone earlier said that they heard that running on Madden is gonna be crappy. i have NCAA 2005 and i think the running on it is amazing because when you make a cut, the running back actually dips his hips and cuts, instead of just kinda turning. And i Like the new tackles, iwas gettin kinda tired of the same four different tackles over the past few years.
 
dont know if its been posted yet, but did you see the create-a-fan clip they show here? creating some of the bullpen guys like Joe Texan should be entertaining...
 
I bought the new espn 2k5 and its the same game as last year just updated rosters and alittle bit more stuff u can do but nothing else. Im just gonna play ncaa 2005 till madden comes out becouse espn just sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
well i'll say one thing. im enjoying ESPN 2K5 more than i enjoyed Madden 2004. As for Madden 2005? we'll have to wait and see. im definitely looking forward to it though.
 
Why are you guys judging games by how certain players are rated? If you disagree with the ratings, just edit them to how you see fit. It's not a very hard process. I rate games by the gameplay and by franchise mode, and so far I'm in love with ESPN. I'm sure I'll rent Madden or play it when one of my friends buys it, but I don't know if I'll be buying it that soon. I think the ESPN gameplay and graphics are just incredible - better than Madden 2004 - and I'm not tired of playing it at all. Madden's going to have to be the greatest sports game of all-time to beat it.

Anyway, my point is that it's pretty silly to judge which game is better based on how the players are rated. It took me about 10 minutes to adjust the entire Texans roster.
 
Technically, a player's rating does affect gameplay. Plus, there's no point in editing them if you play online (or w/ friends b/c it's cheesy).

Anyway, the running game is more realistic than previous versions. The presentation, animations (except for controlling your players), graphics, DL/OL AI, are great as usual.

Everything still feels a little "floaty." IE. controlling players, passes, & the physics-defying football (fumbles, tipped passes)

The controls for the maximum tackling system & speeding up would've been better w/o the button mashing. Also, charging up for a move kinda takes away the point of having ratings.

Overall, it's still a great game though.
 
I have played more 2K5, and I'm thinking it's all graphics. The game play is mediocre, I enjoy PLAYING madden more because it's easier to move the players and the passes are WAY, WAY more accurate. In ESPN, it's almost impossible to throw a screen.
 
The thing about ESPN is that it is more technical. You cant be running out of the pocket and hit a WR in all out sprint 100% of the time. Not even 50%. You need to get set, get your feet set and then you can throw accurate. It takes time and practice to get good. Just because you spent a night or 2 at the game doesnt mean you will become a god. Like in Madden. IMO.

Also ESPN will have an updated roster to fix the ricky problem.

Just for fun scree shots.

Madden Vs. ESPN

8.jpg


nfl2k5_ff1_06.jpg
 
I respect that. Every one is different on how they think the graphics should look. If you think madden is better, then cool. I hope you have a great time with the game. :)
 
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